Five dead in China plant explosion

At least five people were killed in a massive explosion at a chemical plant at Gaomi in China’s Shandong province on 26 May, with 19 injured and six still missing the following day. The cause is as yet unknown and officials have not so far released the results of air quality tests.

According to the Associated Press, the blast shattered windows in buildings up to a kilometer away and sent a thick cloud of orange and black smoke into the air, engulfing some of the other buildings at the Gaomi Renhe Industrial Park. Although emergency services were soon at the scene, the site was continuing to smoulder a day later.

The plant was established in 2019 and is operated by Shandong Youdao Chemical, a subsidiary of the Himile Group. It covers 47 hectares and employs about 300 500 people, according to different accounts. It makes pharmaceutical and agrochemical intermediates and other chemical intermediates.